---
Tension crackled in the air between them as Melissa stammered, "I didn't... it was the maid... Sarah, Sarah brought me here," her voice trembling as she spoke.
Hayden took a step closer, his eyes dark with intent. Instinctively, Melissa lifted a hand, pressing it against his chest to stop him, but he simply removed it with ease. In one smooth motion, he pulled her closer, their bodies now just inches apart. His breath brushed her ear as he whispered, "Rule number two... do not touch me... unless I say so."
He leaned in, lips grazing the edge of her skin as he moved to kiss her, but Melissa turned her head slightly, avoiding his advance. Hayden's lips hovered near her ear again, his voice soft but commanding. "You can't say no to me," he whispered.
Her pulse raced, and despite the warning, desire flickered through her. Her body betrayed her thoughts as she found herself longing for his touch, even as her mind told her to resist.
---
With a sharp motion, Hayden yanked the veil from Melissa's hair, tossing it aside with barely a glance. "Let's fulfill our obligations and get this over with," he said coldly, his eyes unwavering as they locked onto hers. He pulled a chair and sat in it, leaning back casually, his posture oozing control. His gaze didn't falter as he added, "Now... take off your clothes."
Melissa's fingers hovered over the delicate fabric of her wedding dress. Her heart raced as she swallowed hard, her voice small when she finally spoke, "But we don't even know each other…"
Hayden's eyes darkened with impatience. "Listen," he said, his tone almost mocking. "We can still call the hospital and put your grandmother's surgery on hold, right?"
The unspoken threat hung in the air between them, and Melissa felt a sharp twist of fear. She knew the cost of that surgery, the chance her grandmother had at survival—everything depended on it. Slowly, reluctantly, she nodded.
Her hands trembled as she began to undress, feeling the weight of her duty as a wife press down on her, heavy and suffocating. She didn't want her grandmother's treatment to be stopped, and she understood that in Hayden's eyes, this was just another part of their arrangement—another demand she had to meet.
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